Claims adjuster allocation

ABSTRACT

A central claims adjuster control unit associated with an entity may oversee the assignment of claims cases to claims adjusters. The control unit may designate that a threshold number of cases may be assigned to certain claims adjusters. When new claims cases arrive, the control unit may monitor the workload of each of the claims adjusters and the threshold value assigned to any of the claims adjusters before assigning the case to one of the adjusters. If no adjuster is available, the control unit may store the case(s) in a memory until one of the adjusters becomes available. An additional feature of the control unit includes a user interface for modifying information about claims adjusters, including whether or not a threshold value is associated with them, the value of any associated threshold, and the reassignment of cases from one adjuster to another.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/919,852, filed Mar. 13, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/052,805, filed Mar. 21, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.9,947,050, issued Apr. 17, 2018. All the prior patent applications arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to insurance claim handling.More particularly, the disclosure relates to a system and method formanaging insurance claims and adjuster workloads.

BACKGROUND

After a person has incurred an unfortunate loss of property caused by acatastrophic event, such as damage to a home by a hurricane, that personmay be eager to begin financial recovery by filing an insurance claim.Typically an insurance company tries to handle the claim with reasonabletimeliness but may be hampered by the volume and inherent complexity ofclaims and the limits of prior art systems and methods.

Depending on the severity of a catastrophic event, the region affected,and the number of customers affected, personnel (e.g., claim adjusters,etc.) for reviewing and processing claims may be limited. For example,when a catastrophic event (e.g., natural disaster, etc.) occurs, manyregions and people may be affected, increasing the number of claims theinsurance company has to process. Numerous claims need to be scheduled,assigned, and managed in an efficient manner to ensure customers receivetimely cost effective service.

Recently, developments in software programming and architecture haveaided in claim processing efficiency. However, scheduling, allocation,and management of claims to appropriate claims adjusters in the wake ofa catastrophe still needs improvement. For instance, many spreadsheetsof information may be collected and analyzed to determine adjusterallocation in the aftermath of a catastrophe. Such spreadsheet analysisis inefficient and adds additional processing time increasing the totalamount of time customers may have to wait to receive a claim payout. Inaddition, current systems do not address numerous opportunities forimprovement in current claims adjuster management, especially duringhigh volume events such as catastrophes.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for systems, apparatuses, andmethods for improved insurance claim processing, including moreefficient ways to schedule and manage adjuster workloads. Variousaspects of the disclosure overcome deficiencies and limitations of theprior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in orderto provide a basic understanding of some aspects. It is not intended toidentify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate thescope of the invention. The following summary merely presents someconcepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the moredetailed description provided below.

In one embodiment in accordance with aspects of the disclosure, systemsand methods for establishing a claims handling strategy are disclosed.The claims handling strategy may incorporate the concept of a thresholdwhere individual claims adjusters may each be automatically assigned athreshold level of claims cases. After all the adjusters have reachedtheir threshold, the remaining cases are thrown into a “parking lot”where the cases wait until an adjuster is available for handling thecase.

In some embodiments in accordance with aspects of the disclosure, adevice for performing some or all parts of the aforementioned method isdisclosed. The device may comprise an input device, an output device, amemory unit, and a processing unit. In some embodiments, the device maycommunicate with an internal database and/or external database. Thedevice may communicate with a central adjuster control unit so thatadjusters may be scheduled and managed. In addition, information may bedisplayed or reported in various formats across multiple catastrophes.One skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of theaforementioned methods and features may be embodied ascomputer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable mediumand executed by a processor.

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon review of the following detaileddescription, claims and drawings in which like numerals are used todesignate like features.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the disclosure may take physical form in certain parts andsteps, embodiments of which will be described in detail in the followingdescription and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form apart hereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative operating environment in which variousaspects of the disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative block diagram of workstations and servers thatmay be used to implement the processes and functions of certain aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a process associated with adjusterassignment in accordance with at least one aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a first example display screen in accordance with at leastone aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a second example display screen in accordance with at leastone aspect of the disclosure.

Although embodiments of various aspects of the invention are disclosed,the invention is not limited in its application to the specificimplementations set forth in the following description or illustrated inthe drawings. The invention is contemplated to be practiced and carriedout in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used hereinare for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereofis meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalentsthereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As stated above, there are problems associated with efficientlyallocating claims adjusters during events where volume increases, suchas during a catastrophe. Aspects of the disclosure discussed belowdescribe systems and methods for more efficiently determining workloadsof claims adjusters.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a central adjuster control unit101 (e.g., a catastrophe server) in communication system 100 that may beused according to an illustrative embodiment of the disclosure. Thecentral adjuster control unit 101 may have a processor 103 forcontrolling overall operation of the central adjuster control unit 101and its associated components, including RAM 105, ROM 107, input/outputmodule 109, and memory 115.

I/O 109 may include a microphone, keypad, touch screen, and/or stylusthrough which a user of central adjuster control unit 101 may provideinput, and may also include one or more speakers for providing audiooutput and a video display device for providing textual, audiovisualand/or graphical output. Software may be stored within memory 115 toprovide instructions to processor 103 for enabling device 101 to performvarious functions. For example, memory 115 may store software used bythe device 101, such as an operating system 117, application programs119, and an associated internal database 121. In addition, processor 103and its associated components may allow central adjuster control unit101 to execute a series of computer-readable instructions to efficientlyschedule and manage adjuster workloads based on a threshold number ofcases that may be assigned to them.

The central adjuster control unit 101 may operate in a networkedenvironment supporting connections to one or more remote computers, suchas terminals 141 and 151. The terminals 141 and 151 may be personalcomputers or servers that include many or all of the elements describedabove relative to central adjuster control unit 101. The networkconnections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 125and a wide area network (WAN) 129, but may also include other networks.When used in a LAN networking environment, the central adjuster controlunit 101 is connected to the LAN 125 through a network interface oradapter 123. When used in a WAN networking environment, the centraladjuster control unit 101 may include a modem 127 or other means forestablishing communications over the WAN 129, such as the Internet 131.It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areillustrative and other means of establishing a communications linkbetween the computers may be used. The existence of any of variouswell-known protocols such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP and the like ispresumed.

Additionally, an application program 119 used by the central adjustercontrol unit 101 according to an illustrative embodiment of thedisclosure may include computer executable instructions for invokingfunctionality related to managing a “parking lot” (e.g., a storage areawithin memory) for handling excess cases that are waiting for adjusterassignment.

Referring to FIG. 2 , an example of a suitable operating environment inwhich various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented is shown inthe schematic diagram. The computing system 200 is illustrated in oneexample of a suitable operating environment and is not intended tosuggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of thecomputing system 200. Computing system 200 may also include mobileterminals or phones such as 241 and 251 or laptops such as 261 for usein communication with central adjuster control unit 101 through network231.

The computing system 200 may also be comprised of one or more databases214, 216 coupled to a central adjuster control unit 101. Thecommunication between the databases 214, 216 and the central adjustercontrol unit 101 may be through wired or wireless communication networks(depicted by network cloud 231 via communication link 205). The centraladjuster control unit 101 and other devices (e.g., databases 214, 216)may be connected to one or more of the networks via twisted pair wires,coaxial cable, fiber optics, radio waves or other media. The term“network” as used herein and depicted in the drawings should be broadlyinterpreted to include not only systems in which remote databases arecoupled together via one or more communication paths, but alsostand-alone devices that may be coupled, from time to time, to suchsystems that have storage capability. Consequently, the term “network”includes not only a “physical network” but also a “content network,”which is comprised of the data—attributable to a single entity—whichresides across all physical networks.

The plurality of databases 214, 216 may contain information belonging toor maintained by an insurance company, government entity, and/orthird-party entity. For privacy protection reasons, access to theinformation in these databases 214, 216 may be restricted to onlyauthorized computing devices and for only permissible purposes. Forexample, a database 214 may comprise a computer internal to an insurancecompany that contains customer policy information, such as whichadjuster has been assigned to any claims made by the customer throughhis/her policy. The database 214 may also contain information, includingbut not limited to, the customer's relevant coverage limits/deductibleswith insurance carriers, the customer's address information and otherpersonal information, and any other information apparent to one skilledin the art.

In another example, database 214 may also contain predefined businessrules and other information to enable the methods disclosed herein. Forexample, the database 214 may contain data related to the thresholdlevel for a particular claims adjuster. This data may be used, amongother things, to optimize the business rules and/or claim segmentationtechniques used in the method and systems disclosed herein.

Furthermore, database 216 may comprise an external computer with a largememory store, and run a system, such as a scheduling system, forenabling the assignment of particular adjusters to a customer's claim.Database 216 may contain information about the availability of adjustersand other performers available to an insurance company for processing aclaim. In addition, database 216 may provide access to factorscorresponding to the catastrophic event, such as wind speed datacollected from a third-party vendor/software (e.g., Hurritrak).

The disclosure is operational with numerous other general purpose orspecial purpose computing system environments or configurations.Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/orconfigurations that may be suitable for use with the disclosure include,but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-heldor laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems,set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and distributed computingenvironments that include any of the above systems or devices, and thelike.

The disclosure may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Thedisclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotecomputer storage media including memory storage devices.

Insurance companies provide insurance policies to individuals andbusinesses to cover loss or damage of property. In return, the customerremits payments to the insurance companies. These payments may be doneon a scheduled basis, such as monthly or yearly. The insurance policiesmay be specific and only cover loss or damage to the property fromcertain types of occurrences. Alternatively, the insurance policies maybe broad and cover loss or damage to the property from many differentoccurrences. Types of insurance policies include vehicle insurance(including personal automobile, motorcycle, boat, and various commerciallines, etc.), homeowner insurance, renter's insurance, and commercialproperty insurance. As used here, a customer may include any party thatmay report a loss to the insurance company, including, but not limitedto, an insured party, third-party claimant, insurance agent, attorney,or public adjuster.

When loss or damage occurs to the property, the customer may contact theinsurance company to report the loss or damage and make a claim againsttheir policy in order to obtain compensation for the loss or damage tothe property. Resources within or external to the insurance company mayhandle the insurance claim and determine the amount, if any, ofcompensation due to the customer. Typically, insurance companies provideinsurance to a plurality of individuals and businesses within a region.

The following description illustrates examples of insurance claimscheduling processes in accordance with various embodiments of thedisclosure. One skilled in the art will appreciate that aspects of thedisclosure may be applied to various lines of insurance in differentembodiments, including but not limited to, vehicle insurance (includingpersonal automobile, motorcycle, boat, and various commercial lines,etc.), homeowner insurance, renters insurance, commercial propertyinsurance, and other lines and insurance products. It should be notedthat in the discussion that follows, a particular application may bedescribed for the purpose of illustration. However, such discussion isfor the purpose of describing potential uses of the invention and is notintended to limit the present invention's scope.

The insurance claim scheduling process in a catastrophe may begin beforea catastrophic event occurs. The catastrophic events discussed hereinclude, but are not limited to, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes,wildfires, floods, earthquakes and other events. The insurance companymay conduct an assessment of a catastrophic event prior to itsoccurrence in order to better prepare for the effects of thecatastrophic event. This pre-assessment may include determining theregion or regions where a catastrophic event may occur and estimatingthe number of potential claims in those regions. The pre-assessment mayalso include evaluating one or more of a plurality of factors, such aswind speed, rainfall, fire speed, water speed or depth, earthquakemagnitude (on the Richter Scale or other scale) or other factors topredict the damage (e.g., the severity of the potential claims based onone or more of the above factors, such as wind speed data) that may becaused by the catastrophic event. The plurality of factors evaluated inthe pre-assessment may be obtained by various available means. Forexample, wind speed data may be obtained electronically throughcommercially available software (e.g., services provided by Hurritrak orother similar vendors) and then analyzed to forecast weather systemsand/or catastrophic events. These factors may also be gathered fromsources such as Internet sources detailing weather patterns orcollecting and displaying meteorological data. The number of potentialclaims may be estimated by evaluating various different factors. Forexample, the number of potential claims may be estimated by evaluatingthe number of customer insurance policies in a region, the type ofcatastrophic event, the expected damage caused in the region or a zone(e.g., the severity based on wind speed data), and the types of claimsor damage to property resulting from a catastrophic event. Additionally,historical data can be used to determine the expected number of claimsin a region. For example, if wind speed is within a certain range, orover a predetermined threshold, historical data may predict thepercentage of claims that will be filed (e.g., if wind speeds aregreater than 160 mph, 95% of the customers in that region or zone, mayfile claims).

When an entity (e.g., an insurance company) receives a claim, the firstinteraction of the entity with the insured (e.g., an individual,organization, etc.) reporting the claim may be known as a first noticeof loss (FNOL). These interactions may involve triage (choosing a claimhandling strategy) and assignment (assigning handling responsibilitiesto workgroups and/or individual performers). To carry out these tasks,the entity may employ various types of claims adjusters to performvarious activities, including discussing the claim, examining the extentof loss, understanding the cause of loss, analyzing the coverage, andproviding compensation for the loss, if deemed appropriate. As usedherein, a claims adjuster may be broadly interpreted to include anyindividual, group, or subgroup that may be involved in the processing ofa claim for an entity, such as an insurance company.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to the assignment of a capacitythreshold to each claims adjuster associated with an entity when thenumber of claims received increases dramatically, such as during acatastrophe. The threshold may be the maximum number of assignments thatan individual and/or workgroup may take in a given time period (e.g., aday, week, month, year, etc.) In some embodiments, different thresholdsmay be applied to different types of insurance.

More specifically, the individual claims adjusters may be automaticallyassigned cases by control unit 101 up to their capacity. The claimsremaining, after all the adjusters have reached their threshold, may bemoved to a “capacity entity” (e.g., a “parking lot,” a holding area,etc.). The capacity entity may be embodied as memory within centraladjuster control unit 101 storing information relating to the identityof the excess cases that need adjuster assignment. Once a claim is sentto the holding area, an automated outbound message to the customer maybe triggered to indicate that claim information has been received (e.g.,through a FNOL) and is waiting to be assigned to an adjuster. Themessage may also indicate an approximate time that the case will remainin the holding area before being assigned a claims adjuster. Whenadjusters become available and/or when new adjusters are added to thesystem, claims may be automatically assigned. The assignment of a claimsadjuster may then trigger a second message indicating the identityand/or contact information of the claims adjuster processing the claim.

In some embodiments, control unit 101 may designate that a portion ofthe adjusters associated with the entity have a specified thresholdwhile another portion of adjusters do not have a threshold (e.g., may beassigned an unlimited number of cases). In such cases, adjusters withouta threshold assignment may be known as “normal individuals” or “normalworkgroups” (or “normal entities”) whereas adjusters with a thresholdassignment may be known as “threshold individuals” or “thresholdworkgroups” (or “threshold entities”). As mentioned before, a “capacityentity” may designate workgroups and/or individuals that may get anassignment when a normal individual or workgroup is unavailable or whenthe threshold of a threshold entity may have been reached.

The threshold may be calculated by considering the number of claimsand/or coverages (see discussion below) assigned to a particularindividual and/or workgroup in a predetermined time period. In certainaspects, a claim may represent a physical file and/or a request forpayment tied to an insurance policy. A coverage may represent asubcomponent of protection afforded by the policy, such as the dwelling,unscheduled personal property, additional living expenses, etc. Incalculating the active assignment count, the system implementing thisprocess may or may not consider the number of assignments that have beentransferred out from the individual and/or workgroup (e.g., reassigned)during the time period. In certain embodiments, if claims aretransferred out within the same business day, then these claims casesmay not count as an active assignment for a performer. If the activeassignment count is less than the threshold value for an individual orworkgroup, new cases may continue to be assigned to this individualand/or workgroup. If the active assignment count is equal to or greaterthan the threshold value for an individual or workgroup, the system maynot assign new cases to this individual and/or workgroup. Both open(e.g., cases that have a pending task due) and/or closed claims cases(e.g., cases that do not have a pending task due) may or may not beconsidered in the assignment count.

In addition, the control unit 101 may consider the specific role of anindividual and/or workgroup in determining whether or not an assignmentcount may be increased for any given assignment. For instance, an entitysuch as an insurance company may assign some adjusters to the role of a“claim owner” while other adjusters may be assigned the role of a “claimhandler.” These roles may indicate that a given individual and/orworkgroup may have certain responsibilities. For example, a claim ownermay be responsible for overseeing the processing of the claim from FNOLto possible compensation for the loss whereas a claim handler may begiven specific subtasks as needed by the claim owner. More specifically,the claim owner may be assigned to be the key contact with a customerand may coordinate the handling of a claim. The claim handler may be aparty assisting the claim owner, performing a task at the direction ofthe claim owner. Along these lines, tasks may also be distinguishedbased on whether or not the task is associated with a claim inquiryitself or with the nature of the coverage associated with an insurancepolicy, as it relates to the claim inquiry.

For example, consider a scenario in which entity A (with a thresholdvalue of 10) has been assigned 10 claims within a predetermined timeperiod. Suppose that A is a claim handler (but not a claim owner) on 2of these claims and claim owner on the remaining 8. Suppose also that 3of the cases are closed, 3 are open, and 2 claims have been transferredto another entity B in the role of claim owner. In this scenario, thetotal number of assignments of A may be calculated as 8−2=6 (only claimowner cases included here). Because 6 is less than 10, entity A may beconsidered for assignments of claims.

In addition, the claims adjuster control system 101 underlying theprocess detailed above may query other modules within a computing device(e.g., a “performer table” that lists individuals/workgroups associatedwith a particular claim).

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a process associated with adjusterassignment in accordance with at least one aspect of the disclosure. Theprocess may start out at step 301 where the computer logic associatedwith adjuster allocation (e.g., central adjuster control unit 101) maystart. The process may then move to steps 303, 305, and 307 where thejob titles and assignment rules (e.g., rules specifying whether anindividual and/or workgroup has a threshold, what the threshold is,etc.) associated with individuals/workgroups are obtained from thememory of control unit 101. If any of this information is not available,the process may move to step 309 where an error message may begenerated.

Next, the process may move to one of 3 steps based on whether a capacityentity, threshold entity, or a normal entity is considered for aparticular claim/coverage case. If a capacity entity is considered(e.g., in the case where all threshold entities have met or exceededtheir thresholds or no normal entities are available), the process maymove to step 311 where no availability and/or workload balancecalculation may be performed (because the capacity entity is a overflowpool with no threshold). If a threshold entity is considered, theprocess may move to step 313 where control unit 101 may decide if thethreshold for that entity has already been met or exceeded. If thethreshold has already been met or exceeded, the process may move to step315 where control unit 101 may not consider this entity for any moreassignments. If the threshold for the entity has not been met orexceeded, the process may move to step 317 where an availability andload balance calculation may be computed. This calculation may take intoaccount the task load of other entities (including capacity, normal,and/or other threshold entities) and/or other factors. If a normalentity is considered for a claim/coverage case, the process may alsomove to step 317 where an availability and load balance calculation maybe computed.

Next, the process may move to step 319 where the control unit 101 maydetermine whether the threshold or normal entity or both are available.If neither a threshold entity nor a normal entity is available, theprocess may move to step 321 where the control unit 101 may determinewhether a capacity entity exists for the assignment rules determined instep 305. If a capacity entity exists, the process may then move to step323 where the identified capacity entity may be assigned to theclaim/coverage case. If a capacity entity does not exist, the processmay move to step 325 where a controller (e.g., a system operator,manager, etc.) may be assigned the case.

If a threshold entity and/or a normal entity is available in step 319,the process may move to step 327 where the control unit 101 maydetermine which entity is the least loaded. If the normal entity isleast loaded, this entity may be assigned the case in step 329.Alternatively, if the threshold entity is least loaded, this entity maybe assigned the case in step 331.

In implementing the process of FIG. 3 , if the central adjuster controlunit 101 assigns a particular entity (e.g., as claim owner) for a claiminquiry, the identified entity may also be assigned related coveragecases (e.g., as claim handler). In certain embodiments, the identifiedentity may be assigned related coverage cases if the entity is the claimowner for the highest ranking claim coverage.

In handling reassignment of claims through a display of a display deviceassociated with control unit 101, the display may include radio buttons,windows, check boxes, fields, etc. In fact, similar displays andfeatures may be associated with many aspects of the disclosure. When auser attempts to reassign cases at the claim level, control unit 101 maysearch for the highest ranking coverage and bring the performer in therole of claim handler with its assignment group for that coverage. Thecontrol unit 101 may copy the same performer and its assignment group onother related coverages and onto the claim in the role of claim owner.

When a user attempts to reassign cases at the coverage level, controlunit 101 may search for performers in the role of claim handler (withits assignment group) for the coverage.

When a user attempts to add and/or update performers at theclaim/coverage levels in the role of a claim owner/handler, the user maysearch the performers and may select a role. The user may also select anentity (e.g., threshold, normal, etc.) to handle the claim/coverage. Ifthe selected entity is a threshold entity, the control unit 101 maycompare the current assignment load for this entity with the thresholdvalue set for the entity. If the threshold has not been met or exceeded,control unit 101 may assign the case to the threshold entity. If thethreshold has been met or exceeded, control unit 101 may display amessage, asking the user whether the threshold should be overriddenand/or requesting the user to select another performer. If the userdecides to override the threshold for a threshold entity, control unit101 may assign the claim/coverage to the selected entity. Alternatively,the user may cancel out of the message to remain on the same screen.

When coverage cases may be added for an entity, control unit 101 mayassign this entity as claim handler if the individual and/or workgrouphas its own assignment group. Otherwise, the system may assign theentity the role of a claim owner. The control unit 101 may also checkthe threshold capacity of a threshold entity when a user attempts toassign a new coverage case to the threshold entity. If the entity'sthreshold is not met, control unit 101 may assign the coverage to theentity; otherwise, the coverage may be assigned to a claim owner. Incertain embodiments, there may or may not be a check of a threshold whenassigning a coverage to a claim owner.

When a user attempts to perform multiple reassignments through a displayassociated with control unit 101 for a claim handler/claim owner,control unit 101 may consider the claim count of a selected individualand/or workgroup. If the threshold has not been met, control unit 101may assign the case to the selected entity. If the threshold value hasbeen met, control unit 101 may ask the user if the threshold should beoverridden. If yes, control unit 101 may reassign the cases to theselected entity. If no, then control unit 101 may cause the display of asearch screen to search for additional entities. If the threshold hasnot been met but the reassignment is more than the threshold (e.g.,threshold is 10, current assignment is 8 and claims which need to bereassigned are 5), then the cases may be reassigned to bring theentity's workload up to the capacity. Following this reassignment, amessage stating that a portion of the cases have been reassigned but theremaining cases have not may be displayed to a user. Control unit 101may give the user an option of reassigning the remaining cases to theentity by overriding the threshold. Otherwise, a new entity may beselected for assignment of the remaining cases.

In accordance with other aspects of the disclosure, informationregarding capacity entities (e.g., waiting areas for claims/coverages)may be displayed on a display device associated with control unit 101.Various groups/individuals may view and edit this information within anorganization. In one embodiment, groups/individuals within anorganization (e.g., an insurance company) that may view informationregarding the capacity entity may include a librarian, administrationgroup, scheduler group, security group, leadership group, and/or a“super user” group. The “super user” group may be individuals/groupswithin the organization with special privileges with regard to access tosoftware/hardware related to control unit 101. Groups/individuals thatare allowed to edit information related to the capacity entity may bethe same as or different from the groups mentioned above. In certainembodiments, only the librarian may enable a workgroup to be a capacityentity.

In addition, a display screen associated with control unit 101 maydisplay information related to one or more threshold entities. Thedisplay screen may display a threshold entity checkbox for indicatingthat any given entity is a threshold entity. If the checkbox isunselected, the entity may be designated as a normal entity. Inaddition, a threshold capacity checkbox may be used to enter a thresholdvalue associated with the threshold entity. A third checkbox may allow auser to select whether or not the threshold entity should receive newassignments only from the capacity entity. If this checkbox is checked,the associated individual/workgroup may not receive claims through FNOL.Instead, these individuals/workgroups may receive claims only from acapacity entity, reassignment at the claim and/or coverage level screen,add/update performer at claim/coverage level screen, and from themultiple reassignment screen mentioned above. Editing/viewing rights toinformation regarding the threshold entities may be given to groupssimilar to the groups/individuals discussed above with viewing/editingrights to a capacity entity.

Control unit 101 may also cause the display of various error messagesunder certain scenarios. For instance, when a user indicates that anindividual/workgroup is a threshold entity and tries to save thisinformation without entering any value for the threshold capacity, thesystem may display an error message such as: “You have marked thisentity as a threshold entity. Please enter a threshold capacity value.”In addition, when a user selects both the capacity and threshold entitycheckboxes and clicks on the save button, the system may display anerror message such as: “You cannot have the same entity as a capacityentity and a threshold entity. Please uncheck one of the checkboxes.”

As mentioned earlier, individuals/groups may have various jobtitles/roles within an organization (e.g., an insurance company). Theseroles may or may not be associated with the threshold, normal, and/orcapacity entity designations at the workgroup or individual level.Example roles may include “adjuster-pilot inside,” “adjuster-noninjury,” “adjuster-litigation,” “specialist-comprehensive loss,”“adjuster-major,” “adjuster-moderate,” “adjuster-moderate represented”,“adjuster-moderate unrepresented,” “coordinator,” “claim processorhandler,” “coordinator-claim,” “contingent worker-exempt inside,”“specialist,” “processor-express,” “file examiner,” “adjuster-inside,”“injury causality-soft tissue represented,” “injury causality-softtissue unrepresented,” “adjuster-liability determination,”“adjuster-major represented,” “adjuster-major unrepresented,” “propertydispatch,” “total theft service adjuster,” “specialist-coverage,”“comprehensive loss specialist,” and “customer report administrator.”

In certain aspects, a display device associated with control unit 101may also display a bulk threshold update search screen 400, as shown inFIG. 4 . This screen 400 may allow users to search for an assignmentgroup/business unit with an aim toward updating a threshold valueassociated with the assignment group/business unit and/or restrictingthe assignment group/business unit from receiving new claim cases from aFNOL. The user may search through all available assignmentgroups/business units associated with an organization through a keywordsearch feature 401 and may use search features including a partial matchfeature 403, an exact match feature 405, and/or a phonetic match feature407. The partial match feature 403 may allow a user to enter only aportion of the complete assignment group/business unit name. The exactmatch feature 405 may return only those assignment groups/business unitsthat match exactly to the entered keyword. Finally, the phonetic matchfeature 407 may return those assignment groups/business units that matchthe way the entered keyword(s) sounds.

When a user selects a particular assignment group/business unit from thesearch results, a subsequent screen 500 may allow the user to update thethreshold in bulk for all assignment groups/business units associatedwith a selected assignment group (or team), as shown in FIG. 5 . Thedisplayed fields for a particular assignment group/business unit mayinclude the name of the assignment group/business unit 501, job title503, current threshold capacity 505, and a checkbox 507 for receivingassignments only from a capacity entity.

On screen 500, information may be updated via a bulk threshold updateoption (e.g., for updating the threshold value of all members of anassignment group) 509, an assignment group/business unit thresholdupdate option (e.g., for updating a threshold value only for one or moremembers of the assignment group) 511, a threshold capacity option forupdating the threshold value for selected assignment groups/businessunits 513, and an option to receive assignments only from a capacityentity for a given assignment group/business unit 515. These options maybe displayed on the screen 500 as radio buttons, text boxes, andcheckboxes, among other things. In addition, an option may be selectedto save any updated information.

In certain aspects, the multiple reassignment search screen may includea field called “loss state” (e.g., state where the loss resides,property address, etc.).

In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, a batch processmay be used to move claims out of a capacity entity and into a thresholdand/or normal entity. The cases may be moved out of the capacity entityand into the threshold and/or normal entity on a first in first out(FIFO) basis.

While specific examples have been described, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations ofthe above-described systems and methods that fall within the spirit andscope of the disclosure. Additionally, while specific examples ofmethods and steps have been disclosed, steps may be omitted or steps maybe reordered, while still accomplishing similar results. Other featuresand advantages of aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from thedescription, drawings, and claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: automatically determining,by a central adjuster control unit and based on sensor data associatedwith a region before a catastrophic event occurs, the region where thecatastrophic event may take place; automatically estimating by aprocessor of the central adjuster control unit a number of potentialclaims in the region should the catastrophic event occur, wherein theestimating comprises compiling and evaluating data on at least one ofwind speed, rainfall, fire speed, water speed, water depth, orearthquake magnitude; automatically determining identities of aplurality of claims adjusters for handling potential insurance-relatedcases should the catastrophic event occur in the region; automaticallystoring the identities of the plurality of claims adjusters in a memoryof the central adjuster control unit; receiving a plurality ofinsurance-related cases through a communication module associated withthe central adjuster control unit; automatically assigning, based on aplurality of assignment rules, the plurality of insurance-related casesto the plurality of claims adjusters, wherein at least one of theplurality of assignment rules indicates a plurality of threshold numbersof insurance-related cases available for assignment to each of a portionof the plurality of claims adjusters; and in response to a first requestto reassign an assigned insurance-related case associated withrequesting for payment tied to an insurance policy, searching foranother claims adjuster, of the plurality of claims adjusters,associated with a highest ranking coverage, and reassigning the assignedclaim to the another claims adjuster associated with the highest rankingcoverage.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to asecond request to reassign an assigned insurance-related case associatedwith nature of an insurance coverage associated with an insurancepolicy, searching for another claims adjuster, of the plurality of theclaims adjusters, associated with the insurance coverage, andreassigning the assigned insurance-related case to the another claimsadjuster associated with the insurance coverage.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising: receiving a third request to reassign multipleassigned insurance-related cases to a target claims adjuster of theplurality of claims adjusters; and determining, based on a quantity ofinsurance-related cases currently assigned to the target claims adjusterand a quantity of the multiple assigned insurance-related cases, whetherto reassign the assigned insurance-related cases to the target claimsadjuster.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically assigningthe plurality of insurance-related cases comprises: after all theplurality of claim adjusters have reached corresponding thresholdnumbers of insurance-related cases available for assignment, sendingremaining insurance-related cases, of the plurality of insurance-relatedcases, to a capacity entity where the remaining insurance-related caseswait until a claim adjuster of the plurality of claim adjusters becomesavailable for handling at least one of the remaining insurance-relatedcases.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: automaticallyestimating, based on the sensor data, historical data, a number ofcustomer insurance policies in the region, a type of catastrophic event,expected damage caused in the region, and a type of insurance-relatedcases resulting from the catastrophic event, a number of potentialinsurance-related cases in the region should the catastrophic eventoccur.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor data indicates oneor more of wind speed, rainfall, fire speed, water speed, water depth,or earthquake magnitude.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thedetermining the region comprises real-time monitoring of the sensor dataassociated with the region before the catastrophic event occurs.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the automatically assigning the plurality ofinsurance-related cases is on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.
 9. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-executable program instructions stored thereon that whenexecuted by a processor of a central adjuster control unit, cause theprocessor to perform steps comprising: automatically determining, basedon sensor data associated with a region before a catastrophic eventoccurs, the region where the catastrophic event may take place;automatically estimating a number of potential claims in the regionshould the catastrophic event occur, wherein the estimating comprisescompiling and evaluating data on at least one of wind speed, rainfall,fire speed, water speed, water depth, or earthquake magnitude;automatically determining identities of a plurality of claims adjustersfor handling potential insurance-related cases should the catastrophicevent occur in the region; automatically storing the identities of theplurality of claims adjusters in a memory of the central adjustercontrol unit; receiving a plurality of insurance-related cases through acommunication module associated with the central adjuster control unit;automatically assigning, based on a plurality of assignment rules, theplurality of insurance-related cases to the plurality of claimsadjusters, wherein at least one of the plurality of assignment rulesindicates a plurality of threshold numbers of insurance-related casesavailable for assignment to each of a portion of the plurality of claimsadjusters; and in response to a first request to reassign an assignedinsurance-related case associated with requesting for payment tied to aninsurance policy, searching for another claims adjuster, of theplurality of claims adjusters, associated with a highest rankingcoverage, and reassigning the assigned claim to the another claimsadjuster associated with the highest ranking coverage.
 10. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein thecomputer-executable program instructions further cause the processor toperform: in response to a second request to reassign an assignedinsurance-related case associated with nature of an insurance coverageassociated with an insurance policy, searching for another claimsadjuster, of the plurality of the claims adjusters, associated with theinsurance coverage, and reassigning the assigned insurance-related caseto the another claims adjuster associated with the insurance coverage.11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein thecomputer-executable program instructions further cause the processor toperform: receiving a third request to reassign multiple assignedinsurance-related cases to a target claims adjuster of the plurality ofclaims adjusters; and determining, based on a quantity ofinsurance-related cases currently assigned to the target claims adjusterand a quantity of the multiple assigned insurance-related cases, whetherto reassign the assigned insurance-related cases to the target claimsadjuster.
 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, whereinthe automatically assigning the plurality of insurance-related casescomprises: after all the plurality of claim adjusters have reachedcorresponding threshold numbers of insurance-related cases available forassignment, sending remaining insurance-related cases, of the pluralityof insurance-related cases, to a capacity entity where the remaininginsurance-related cases wait until a claim adjuster of the plurality ofclaim adjusters becomes available for handling at least one of theremaining insurance-related cases.
 13. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable program instructionsfurther cause the processor to perform: automatically estimating, basedon the sensor data, historical data, a number of customer insurancepolicies in the region, a type of catastrophic event, expected damagecaused in the region, and a type of insurance-related cases resultingfrom the catastrophic event, a number of potential insurance-relatedcases in the region should the catastrophic event occur.
 14. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the sensor dataindicates one or more of wind speed, rainfall, fire speed, water speed,water depth, or earthquake magnitude.
 15. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 9, wherein the determining the region comprisesreal-time monitoring of the sensor data associated with the regionbefore the catastrophic event occurs.
 16. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 9, wherein the automatically assigning the plurality ofinsurance-related cases is on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.
 17. Anapparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory configured to storecomputer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to perform: automatically determining, based onsensor data associated with a region before a catastrophic event occurs,the region where the catastrophic event may take place; automaticallyestimating a number of potential claims in the region should thecatastrophic event occur, wherein the estimating comprises compiling andevaluating data on at least one of wind speed, rainfall, fire speed,water speed, water depth, or earthquake magnitude; automaticallydetermining identities of a plurality of claims adjusters for handlingpotential insurance-related cases should the catastrophic event occur inthe region; automatically storing the identities of the plurality ofclaims adjusters in a memory of the apparatus; receiving a plurality ofinsurance-related cases through a communication module associated withthe apparatus; automatically assigning, based on a plurality ofassignment rules, the plurality of insurance-related cases to theplurality of claims adjusters, wherein at least one of the plurality ofassignment rules indicates a plurality of threshold numbers ofinsurance-related cases available for assignment to each of a portion ofthe plurality of claims adjusters; and in response to a first request toreassign an assigned insurance-related case associated with requestingfor payment tied to an insurance policy, searching for another claimsadjuster, of the plurality of claims adjusters, associated with ahighest ranking coverage, and reassigning the assigned claim to theanother claims adjuster associated with the highest ranking coverage.18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the computer-readableinstructions, when executed by the processor, further cause theprocessor to perform: in response to a second request to reassign anassigned insurance-related case associated with nature of an insurancecoverage associated with an insurance policy, searching for anotherclaims adjuster, of the plurality of the claims adjusters, associatedwith the insurance coverage, and reassigning the assignedinsurance-related case to the another claims adjuster associated withthe insurance coverage.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein thecomputer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, furthercause the processor to perform: receiving a third request to reassignmultiple assigned insurance-related cases to a target claims adjuster ofthe plurality of claims adjusters; and determining, based on a quantityof insurance-related cases currently assigned to the target claimsadjuster and a quantity of the multiple assigned insurance-relatedcases, whether to reassign the assigned insurance-related cases to thetarget claims adjuster.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein theautomatically assigning the plurality of insurance-related casescomprises: after all the plurality of claim adjusters have reachedcorresponding threshold numbers of insurance-related cases available forassignment, sending remaining insurance-related cases, of the pluralityof insurance-related cases, to a capacity entity where the remaininginsurance-related cases wait until a claim adjuster of the plurality ofclaim adjusters becomes available for handling at least one of theremaining insurance-related cases.